Cigar Review: Tatuaje Havana VI Artistas

Cigar: Tatuaje Havana VI Artistas
Size: 6 1/8 x 52 (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: Purchased for $9.95 at Burns Tobacco; also found for $7.25 for singles and $155.95 per box of 24 at Serious Cigars.

Continuing on with cigars that I discovered at the Chattanooga Tweet Up, the next cigar I chose to review was one that was chosen because of its brand. To my recollection, my local shops on the IL side of the river do not carry Tatuaje cigars for whatever reason (a few in St. Louis does). The choice in selecting this cigar among the many offerings from Tatuaje was random but I can promise you that this might be the best cigar that I was able to get while in Chattanooga.

I found zero construction issues with my cigar but found prelight notes of wood, reminiscent of being in a cedar room. After the cut and light, I was met with a perfectly balanced draw with just a touch of spice to start things off. It should be noted that the spice was only there a few minutes then faded away. Soon after, wood notes joined the palette with a hint of sweet flavors to wrap up the profile. The cigar starts off just under medium bodied but very smooth and mellow. It stayed this way up until the halfway point of the cigar where the strength bumped up to a true medium body. This was also where I started detecting new flavors of light spice and something akin to nutmeg. By the last third of the cigar, it crept up in strength once again past the point of medium bodied into what I would consider the medium-to-full range. Even at the end of the cigar, it is still very mellow and smooth from the draw to the flavor profile and the exhale. Total smoking time was 1:20.

I honestly have nothing negative to say. I had no problems at all with the cigar. The draw was perfect. The burn was perfect. I never had to relight it. The flavor profile was complex but inviting to anyone who smokes cigars, even someone who might smoke only a handful a year. Needless to say, the score I gave this cigar is in my opinion well deserved.

By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10

To recap the Tatuaje Havana VI Artistas:

• I don’t know what else to say: This cigar represents, in my opinion, the quintessential medium bodied cigar.
• The Tatuaje Havana VI Artistas could be enjoyed by nearly every smoker I know. It’s complex enough to make the veterans happy but mellow enough to not scare anyone away.
• Paying $10 in a brick and mortar is more than fair in my opinion; however, seeing that the cost comes down over $2.00 when you buy a box (notice them being on backorder…), the cigar becomes a great value.
• I have now found my next box purchase when the cigars from The Tweetup are gone, which is likely going to be relatively soon.

As always, thank you very much for reading and I look forward to the next time I can share my thoughts with you.